ILOILO CITY, Aug 9(PIA 6) -- Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. thanked the thousands of Ilonggo volunteers who helped him address the challenges of environmental degradation by planting 1.4 million trees as he likewise reported to the people of the province the achievements and accomplishments of his administration two years after he assumed office during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) yesterday.

To protect Mother Earth “we have exceeded our target by having planted 1.4 million trees with 65 percent survival rate, and our volunteers showed us that the best way to survive the challenges of environmental degradation is by collectively answering the call for environmental rehabilitation,” Governor Defensor said.

Defensor cited the Barangay Service Point Officers for religiously monitoring the survival of the trees planted, as he called upon the Ilonggos to again join next month the planting of another million trees and 500,000 mangroves.

“Our million trees is our long-term contribution to cushion the impact of ecological imbalances that have brought destructive typhoons and floods to our province,” the governor said.

In his SOPA, Defensor cited his administration’s efforts in addressing the pressing and persistent challenge of poverty, hunger and disease.

“This is the reason why we released P73.3 million for the PhilHealth enrollment of 71,209 families, covering the period January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013,” Defensor said.

This year, the provincial government is embarking on a massive hospital improvement program by earmarking an additional P500 million to improve 12 hospitals with focus on the four strategically located hospitals- the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan, the Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital in Cabatuan, the Sra District Hospital in Sara and the Rep. Pedro Trono Memorial Hospital in Guimbal.

The governor said that to provide universal access to basic education, “we invested P34 million by hiring 300 teachers and P39.4 million for the construction and repair of classrooms and school facilities this year alone”.

As the Governor’s term enters its final year, he also highlighted his administration’s achievements in various aspects such as agriculture, education, peace and order, social services, and good governance.

“I came back two years ago not for the love of power or material gain, but for the love to serve the people of the Province of Iloilo,” Defensor concluded.(JCM/VWV/PIA 6-Iloilo)